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August Geiger (pilot)
|branch= Luftwaffe |serviceyears=1939–1943 |rank=Hauptmann |unit=NJG 1 |commands= |battles=World War II *Defense of the Reich |awards=Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves }}August Geiger (6 May 1920 – 29 September 1943) was a German Luftwaffe night fighter ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves during World War II. The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross and its higher grade Oak Leaves was awarded to recognise extreme battlefield bravery or successful military leadership. Career Geiger was born on 6 May 1920 in Überlingen, near Lake Constance. Geiger joined the Luftwaffe in late 1939 and was posted in mid-1941 as Leutnant to 8./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1).For an explanation of the meaning of Luftwaffe unit designation see Organisation of the Luftwaffe during World War II. Geiger's first two claims were a Vickers Wellington and a Armstrong Whitworth Whitley on 26 June 1942. By the start of 1943 Geiger had ten victories and been awarded the Iron Cross First Class. In early 1943 Geiger was promoted to Oberleutnant (first lieutenant) and transferred to a 7./NJG 1, becoming Staffelkapitän (squadron leader) in May 1943, with some 40 confirmed victories. On 29 September 1943 he was shot down by the Beaufighter VI of W/C Bob Braham of No. 141 Squadron RAF over the Zuiderzee, Netherlands.Scutts 2000, pp. 54-55. Gieger managed to bale out of his Messerschmitt Bf-110 G but was drowned when his parachute dragged him under. He was posthumously awarded the Oak Leaves to his Knight's Cross on 2 March 1944. In 328 combat missions, Geiger claimed 53 aerial victories, all of them at night.For a list of Luftwaffe night fighter aces see List of German World War II night fighter aces. Awards * Aviator badge * Ehrenpokal der Luftwaffe (19 October 1942)Obermaier 1989, p. 61. * Front Flying Clasp of the Luftwaffe in Gold * Iron Cross (1939) ** 2nd Class ** 1st Class * German Cross in Gold on 31 August 1943 as Hauptmann in the 1./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1Patzwall and Scherzer 2001, p. 132. * Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves ** Knight's Cross on 22 May 1943 as Oberleutnant and Staffelkapitän of the 7./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1Fellgiebel 2000, p. 192.Scherzer 2007, p. 329. ** 416th Oak Leaves on 2 March 1944 as Hauptmann and Gruppenkommandeur of the III./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1Fellgiebel 2000, p. 79. Notes References ;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * * Scutts, Jerry (1998). German Night Fighter Aces of World War 2. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-85532-696-5. * Shores, Christopher F. and Clive Williams (1994). Aces High: a Tribute to the most notable fighter pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII. London: Grub Street. ISBN 1-898697-00-0. External links *World War 2 Awards.com *Lexikon der Wehrmacht *Ritterkreuztraeger 1939-1945 *Luftwaffe 39-45 Category:1920 births Category:1943 deaths Category:People from Überlingen Category:Luftwaffe pilots Category:German World War II flying aces Category:German military personnel killed in World War II Category:Recipients of the Gold German Cross Category:Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves Category:Aviators killed by being shot down Category:Burials at Ysselsteyn German war cemetery Category:People from the Republic of Baden